Unbroken: Jolie’s director’s cut not mainstream enough

ANGELINA Jolie’s Unbroken has been sliced and diced by Universal for commercial success after the director’s cut was deemed “intense and dark”.

ANGELINA Jolie’s Oscar contender, Unbroken, will screen for media and other VIPs this week — but sources tell Page Six that the film they’ll see will be Universal’s cut after she turned in a version of the movie that was deemed “too art house.”

Unbroken follows the true story of American Olympic runner Louis Zamperini, who later became a prisoner of war in a Japanese camp.

The film has screened in Australia and the UK and will be unveiled in New York this week, including a Tuesday screening at MoMA followed by a Q & A with director Jolie and her cast as part of the museum’s The Contenders series.

Cast ... Unbroken has rumoured to be an Oscar contender. Picture: Adam Berry/Getty Images

The film is perhaps the last potential major Oscar contender yet to be shown. But a source says the finished work is different than the one Jolie handed in to Universal as her director’s cut.

While a rare few top-tier directors get the privilege of “final cut,” it’s increasingly rare — particularly on big-budget studio releases.

“Universal re-edited her movie, because it was too art house,” a Hollywood insider said. “They took control and edited it into a more commercial movie.”

It’s Jolie’s second major directorial work after her 2011 indie film, In the Land of Blood and Honey” She’s moved to another Universal project, By the Sea, starring her and hubby Brad Pitt.

Zamperini — whose bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean in World War II and who survived 47 days at sea followed by years of abuse as a POW — died in July at 97. Unbroken is to be released on Christmas Day.

Uncut ... Jolie’s cut was ‘intense and dark’. Picture: Supplied

“A lot of people tried to make his life story into a movie,” said a source. “This has been a real passion project for Angelina. Her cut was intense and dark in some places. But the studio wants the movie to be a commercial success, so took control of the final cut and re-edited it. Jolie can’t have been happy about it, but she is proud of the movie and let the studio make the changes it needed to.”

While a rep for Jolie couldn’t be reached, a Universal spokesman said, “It is patently untrue.”

Originally published as Unbroken: Jolie’s director’s cut not mainstream enough